After my wife died, I tried to find love again. It magically found me
It was my senior year at Van Nuys High. I had noticed her, especially because two of my buddies were drooling over her best friend who cruised the quad of the San Fernando Valley high school with the air of…
Should pregnant people evacuate L.A. to avoid the smoke?
After five days of an unrelenting firestorm in Los Angeles County, medical experts are warning that the area’s smoke levels pose unique risks to expectant pregnant people and their unborn children. So what should pregnant L.A. residents do? First and…
Paradise lost along Pacific Coast Highway
Everyone knows California is disaster-prone, but there’s a familiar logic to the calamitous geography in this high-maintenance beauty of a state. Wildfires are supposed to be in the hills — in the wild — not on the beach, and certainly…
How to avoid toxic positivity in the time of tragedy
Thousands of structures have been damaged in the fires that have besieged Los Angeles. Which means you likely know someone (or several people) who has experienced the loss of their home and beloved possessions. Your instinct is to reach out…
The Bunny Museum, destroyed by Eaton fire, vows to return
Among the losses in the devastating Eaton fire was the Bunny Museum, husband-and-wife Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski’s grand ode to the world’s hoppiest animal, the rabbit. The Altadena museum, located on Lake Avenue, was one of L.A.’s quintessentially quirky…
L.A.’s KFM Karaoke Country Revue is a hootenanny with a queer twist
“I’m gay so I can’t do the guitar solo,” quips Sam Buck. A grin plays across his face as the unmistakable jangle of Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” wafts through the room. Members of the audience chuckle…
This Pasadena Temple burned in the Eaton Fire. Leaders won’t let it die
Leaders of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, which has served the Pasadena area for more than 100 years, has confirmed that the home of the Conservative synagogue and Jewish pre-school, B’nai Simcha, is among the many structural casualties of…
Want to get in touch with your senses? Try this cozy ASMR massage
I’ve never felt weird about paying strangers to touch me. Massages, facials, martial arts — it’s all just bodywork to me. That is, until I booked my first professional back scratch with Julie Luther, the founder of Soft Touch ASMR…
Constantly anxious? Martha Beck on how creativity is calming
Bestselling author Martha Beck has tried many things over her 62 years of life to quell the anxiety that’s been her constant companion since childhood. The Harvard-trained sociologist experimented with therapy, medication, self-compassion practices and many, many hours of meditation….
Strength train for your desk job with these 5 exercise snacks
It’s Monday morning, the start of your work week. You’ve put the finishing touches on that big report, prepared for that imminent presentation. But it’s likely that there’s one aspect of the job you’re not ready for: the marathon of…
You’re the only guest at ‘Undersigned,’ a thrilling show in L.A.
Last summer I had a chance to strike a deal with the devil. I sat, contemplating my choice — what I could live without to acquire the one thing I most desired. This was no arbitrary crossroads. Over the past…
Opinion: What I find in solitude and silence on the cliffs of Big Sur
As a student, like many of us, I liked to read Henry David Thoreau. Many of his ringing one-liners thrilled me and got copied down in my commonplace book, but there was one sentence I hardly registered: “Every man is…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Joel McHale
Although actor and comedian Joel McHale has lived in Los Angeles for nearly a quarter-century, he’s quick to point out that Sunday downtime here is a rarity. “I don’t think I’ve had a leisurely Sunday in L.A. since February,” he…
After my marriage failed, I was tired of red flags and Hollywood men
I was three years post-divorce, with a 12-year-old son and a newly adopted puppy, living in Park La Brea, where a community of single moms had come together. We were all free from the burden of marriage and entertained the…
Here are the best California plants and flowers to discover in 2025
Clearly, there’s no shortage of flowers in Southern California. As I write this near the end of 2024, roses, iris and California fuchsia are still blooming in my Ventura garden, and hummingbirds are darting among tall orange whorls of lion’s…
New adventures are calling. Let us be your guide for fun each month
Jaclyn Cosgrove covers the (great!) outdoors at the Los Angeles Times. They started at The Times in 2017 and have written about wildfires, culture, protests, crime and county government. In 2022, they managed For Your Mind, a yearlong mental health…
12 California experiences and adventures to have in 2025
Has it occurred to you that civilization might be overrated? Me too. So I’ve been thinking about the natural world — actually, the many natural worlds contained within California, and how whole they can make us feel. With that and…
12 healthy, joyful and restorative wellness activities for 2025
This stands to be an interesting year — if not a potentially stressful one — as we transition leadership in this country. Just remember to care for yourself. With that top of mind, here’s a calendar of wellness activities, each…
Are Reformers Adjustable For Different Body Sizes?
Reformers Adjustable For Different Body Sizes The reformer is one of the Pilates tools most used in class, and for good reason: it’s a total-body strength-building machine that challenges your muscles with unique resistance options. You move on a carriage…
Can probiotic supplements prevent hangovers?
The ads on podcasts and social media were tantalizing: over-the-counter probiotic supplements that could ward off the worst effects of a hangover if taken before drinking. As a bourbon reviewer who enjoys the flavor of spirits but has always been…
As our relationship grew, we stayed loyal to our favorite sushi resto
Advertisement Advertisement The author is an artist based in Altadena. She has a degree in illustration from ArtCenter College of Design. See more of her work on Instagram @lilitoddart and on her website lilitodd.com. L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Justine Lupe
For years, Justine Lupe bopped back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. It wasn’t until the pandemic that she decided it was time to stop living out of her suitcase in hotels and short-term sublet apartments. “The world…
4 tips for feeling festive without drinking during the holidays
I covered my empty wine glass as the Italian waitress made her rounds, a bottle of Chianti in hand. “I’m not drinking right now,” I said, even though I was on my honeymoon in Tuscany. Earlier this year, I decided…
Freak City collaborates with Tokyo rap duo Yurufuwa Gang
In late October, a beloved L.A. duo, Valerie Akiko Campbell and Justin Romero of Freak City, met with another beloved duo in Tokyo, Nene and Ryugo Ishida of the Yurufuwa Gang. Freak City is a cult fashion brand and the…
We want to know: What’s your favorite yoga studio in L.A.?
Los Angeles County is vast — and with a magnitude of yoga studios. We scoured the county, stretching to explore as diverse a variety of classes as possible, before narrowing them down to the 28 best independent studios based on…
No plans? This app will match you with a group of strangers for dinner
When David Brown moved from Chicago to Los Angeles this summer, one of the first things he did was download an app that aims to “fight big-city loneliness.” The 35-year-old sales director had seen an Instagram ad for Timeleft, which…
Why does it get harder to drink alcohol as we age?
This summer an old high school friend of mine decided to quit drinking entirely. She didn’t want to, but she felt she had no choice. “All of a sudden my body decided that alcohol is poison,” she told me recently…
Meat is central to my cultural heritage. Here’s how I gave it up
My earliest memories of food are of family barbecues. My late father grew up on a cattle ranch in Uruguay, where there are three times as many cows as people. It’s one of the world’s top consumers of beef per…
Do we believe in elves? Of course! Otherwise we’d miss out on magic
We all buy into a suspension of disbelief in certain areas of our lives. We play the lottery (someone’s gonna win), channel what our dogs and cats are thinking (I know this is not just me) and expect our plants…
Men are getting real about the emotional toll of losing their hair
John-Jonne Smith enjoyed a flourishing head of hair for much of his life. The young millennial rocked different hairstyles and loved switching it up: a curly Afro one week, two-strand twists the next, micro plaited braids and a range of…
Opinion: To give great gifts, stop thinking like a gift giver
The idyllic holiday scene — piles of presents, smiles all around — rarely matches reality. Who among us hasn’t faced the awkward silence of a gift that falls flat? Who hasn’t been disappointed by one we’ve received? Why then, do…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Kyle Mooney
Now that he has a baby, Kyle Mooney doesn’t leave a certain L.A. radius much if he doesn’t have to. And he’s content with that. The “Saturday Night Live” alum spends most of his time in Pasadena, Glendale, Highland Park…
I was seeing a rock star. But was I cool enough to be with him?
We met at a boba shop on Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue perfectly situated between our apartments in the lively heart of West Hollywood. I wore light-wash jeans with rips at the knees and a purple North Face long-sleeve…
Meet the queer Gen Z women giving billiards a rebrand in L.A.
In the summer of 2023, Alix Max, new to town with a cigarette in their mouth, was shooting pool on the patio of 4100 Bar in Silver Lake. They were pretty good, too — good enough to catch the eye…
On Big Bear’s slopes, a new lift opens. Is a link between resorts next?
Snow has been slow to arrive in Big Bear this year, but the long-term forecast calls for big changes. Bear Mountain resort in Big Bear is adding its first new chair lift in 30 years, a six-seat, high-speed lift that…
Strong at any age: Older adults share their favorite fitness routines
Mark Olson at the gym. (Mark Olsen) “Throughout my life I’ve been a skier, weightlifter, hiker and runner, including many local 10K races. Following open-heart aortic valve replacement surgery in late 2023, I embarked upon a cardio rehabilitation program introduced…
L.A. ceramist Emily Haynes crafts Midcentury Modern-inspired pots
Like most working moms, Los Angeles ceramist Emily Haynes has mastered the art of multitasking. “Please excuse the boxes of popcorn,” she says with a warm smile, leading the way to her ceramics studio in the garage behind her Valley…
L.A. Times writers share their favorite gifts from the Gift Guide
What gifts might our Gift Guide pickers pick if they were guided to pick gifts from the lists of the other gift pickers to give? Asking that question aloud might be hard to do (go ahead, we’ll wait), but answering…
As Christmas and Hanukkah coincide, let there be holiday lights
Hanukkah begins on Christmas this year, marking a rare coincidence of the Jewish and Christian holidays, which occur according to different calendars. The alignment invites reflection on how two traditions can inspire each other. The Orthodox Jewish community I grew…
Opinion: Why I’m getting rid of my smartwatch
The first thing I do each morning is check my watch — not for the time but for my sleep score. As a runner, when the glowing red letters say my score — and my training readiness — are poor,…
Capricorn horoscope this December – Los Angeles Times
(Beth Hoeckel / For The Times; Ann Demeulemeester Black Livia Collar, courtesy of Ssense.com) Anyone who has attempted to breach the magnetically charged ring of ice around a Capricorn knows that their association with their planetary ruler, Saturn, could never…
At the Earlybirds Club, you can dance, sweat and be in bed by 11 p.m.
About a year ago, longtime friends Laura Baginski and Susie Lee reconnected at their 30-year high school reunion. As the two women caught up with each other about their careers, motherhood and everything in between. They vented about how they…
Airport facials, anyone? The 7 best luxury lounges at LAX
Best for: Ultra-luxury travelers who want extra privacy What it’s like inside: Though it doesn’t come cheap, PS is the ultimate commercial-yet-feels-private airport experience. Travelers begin their journey at a facility completely separate from the rest of the airport, with…
Pro skaters and their videographers on making skate videos and photography
On a Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, a group of longtime friends recorded a conversation on the side of the road at Grand Avenue and 3rd Street after a long day of skating around the city with legendary photographer Atiba…
Two Bit Circus is back as a Santa Monica pop-up arcade
Before me stands a glistening silver box — sleek, elegant and with boldly defined protruding vertical lines, giving it an ever-so-slight vintage Art Deco look. A golden vent rests at its top, the figures on its grille appearing like alien…
8 free holiday phone and computer backgrounds made by L.A. muralists
Muralists living and working in Los Angeles often bring color and culture to the city’s concrete façades. Their work is a tribute to the life and times of the city. For our annual holiday wrapping paper feature, Times art directors…
Sunday Funday in Los Angeles with ‘Frasier’ star Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer has played Frasier Crane for nearly a quarter century — most recently on a “Frasier” follow-up series that just last month wrapped its second season streaming on Paramount+. So it might be natural for longtime fans to conflate…
John Galliano leaving Maison Margiela after a 10-year run
Maison Margiela’s creative director John Galliano, the iconoclastic couturier who previously headed artistry at Givenchy and Christian Dior, is leaving his post at the luxury French fashion house after a decade-long run. The British designer, 64, announced his goodbye Wednesday…
How to hike among redwoods at Big Basin Redwoods State Park
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park, near Santa Cruz, is recovering after fire scorched almost the entire park in 2020.• Of 115 miles of trails and fire roads in the park, 31.5 are open. More are to reopen soon. •…
What is Saturn Return? Chani Nicholas offers an explainer
In November of 2020, I went on my first mushroom trip. I chose the date arbitrarily, eventually landing on Black Friday because of the poetic ring to it, a wink to the “hero’s dose” I planned on taking — enough…
She transformed her tiny apartment in L.A. with thrift store finds
As an art director with a background in theater, Mary Kenny has a flair for interior design that rivals her skills as an event planner in the entertainment industry. For her, there is no such thing as “too busy” when…
Disneyland doubles down on diverse live shows for the holidays
One of the Disneyland Resort’s new holiday offerings is a show featuring the young guitar-slinging character of Miguel from “Coco.” But it’s ultimately rooted in a culture and history that long predates the 2017 film. Show director Tobi Longo pulled…
Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane is 104. Credit its staunch volunteers
• Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena is a neighborhood holiday lights extravaganza that’s taken place nearly every year since 1920.• 135 deodar cedars stretching nearly a mile along Santa Rosa Avenue are strung with lights by volunteers each year for…
Sunday Funday in Los Angeles with chef and cook book author Molly Baz
Molly Baz ended up in Los Angeles by chance. In March 2020, she was vacationing in L.A. with her family when government officials issued a stay-at-home order due to COVID. She didn’t feel comfortable going back to her crowded apartment…
She was my first true love. Would the magic we had last forever?
“Wait, you dated her? She’s basically royalty,” said an old schoolmate of my first love when we realized our mutual connection. It was nearly a year after the breakup, but even hearing her name made my heart beat in staccato….
Everything coming to Disneyland in 2025 — including $67 per day tickets
Disneyland is turning 70 next year, and the theme park has never missed an excuse to throw a nostalgia-fueled party. The coming months will be no different, and arguably the star of the festivities will be Walt Disney himself, albeit…
They planned a day hike in Yosemite. Then they got lost in the snow
On May 20, 2016, my wife and I visited Yosemite National Park. Before we set out on a trail, I talked to a park ranger. I told her that I was looking for a picture of water reflecting the trees….
Los Angeles has many scents. What does L.A. smell like to you?
There’s no single smell that defines Los Angeles. Certain scents are often linked to the bustling streets of downtown or the verdant banks of the L.A. River, while others are tied to the more secluded, quiet corners of places like…
The L.A. skincare brand Mother Science began with a medical mystery
The love story of musicians Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger and Mike Einziger was fortified in a lab. After meeting through a mutual colleague in 2010, the Santa Monica-based couple’s courtship began the following year, as they were collaborating with Oscar-winning composer…
The AI massage robot, Aescape, debuts in L.A. and I tried it out.
My first meeting with Aescape, the AI-powered massage robot, was benign enough — if a bit eerie. As if HAL had gotten a job in the Valley. I stepped into the austere spa room at Pause, a wellness center in…
Creepy vibes drives booming business at Tonopah’s Clown Motel.
TONOPAH, Nev. — Business is so good at the Clown Motel, you might expect more of its painted faces to be smiling. But as Vijay Mehar has learned in his years as owner of the creepiest motel in Tonopah, Nev., happy…
Born X Raised celebrates 10 years of its Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal
By 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, hundreds of people were crowded outside the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, waiting to get inside one of Los Angeles’ most anticipated events of the year: Born X Raised‘s annual Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal. Since 2014, the beloved…
Opinion: Why we’re so obsessed with clearing out our stuff
When I asked my mother what she might like for her birthday this year, she quickly texted back: Nothing. We are downsizing. My parents already live in a small house — a former fishing cabin on the edge of a…
You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to experience the spiritual benefits of Advent
Ellen O’Brian hadn’t bought a candy-filled advent calendar in years, but when she saw the festive cardboard box with little numbered panels in her local natural foods store, she couldn’t resist. “It’s put out by a chocolate maker called Divine,…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish names her pets after things she wishes she could have more of. Namely, sleep. Her dog Sleeper and cats Sleepy and Catonic (whom she adopted from the set of the cat-themed movie “Keanu”) make her house in L.A.’s…
Our sexual chemistry was great. He panicked when I wanted conversation
I don’t do casual sex. My labels are demisexual and sapiosexual, or some combination of the two, which makes being attracted to someone when there is no intellectual or emotional spark improbable, if not impossible. Ironically, I also have a…
Echo Park’s Género Neutral shop finds an afterlife
On Saturday, Image co-hosted a party in memory of Género Neutral, the beloved retail shop in Echo Park that closed earlier this year. To mark the end of an era, Ashley SP, one of the co-owners of the shop, wrote…
‘I got lonely’: Why a student built an escape room in a UCLA dorm room
“Code Green” has the trappings of a modern escape room. We enter what we are told is a hidden bunker-turned-research lab. It’s dark, but there are clearly challenges that surround us: patterns in the walls, a cork board filled with…
Moo Deng is a global phenomenon. How long can this love affair last?
CHONBURI PROVINCE, Thailand — Like most babies, Moo Deng spends a lot of her time sleeping. But for a few hours a day, the 4-month-old pygmy hippo springs to life, gumming on leaves, zooming around the compound and tossing her head…
9 L.A. locals share their favorite walks in the city
Los Angeles is teeming with beautiful places to walk, but for many of us, our favorite paths are those that are closest to home. These are the walks we do again and again, when we need to shake out our…
Need an alternative to Black Friday? Look to L.A.’s museum stores
Holiday gift shopping? It’s chaos. The Grove on Black Friday? Good luck finding parking — it’s a two-hour wait just to squeeze into a spot. And big box stores? Just no. If you’re looking for something less stressful and more…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Manuel García-Rulfo
Manuel García-Rulfo moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago, and now the Guadalajara-born actor says he feels more like an Angeleno than a transplant. “I love this city. It’s cool. It has so much to offer,” he says with a…
I told my dream guy I liked him. He told me I had too many guy friends
I was hanging out with my friend Patrick, comparing notes on our dating lives. We were talking about red flags and whether we had any. “Well,” said Patrick, “I feel like I’m sort of an aerospace cliché. … I’m an…
An inside look at L.A. ceramist Linda Hsiao’s home studio in Altadena
Linda Hsiao was standing at a weathered work table inside her ceramics studio in Altadena. It was the day after Halloween, and her two children, Saben Taylor, 5, and Wawona Hsiao, 3, worked alongside her, hand-sculpting clay vessels as wild…
A DIY guide to the Original Los Angeles Flower Market
• The Los Angeles Flower District features more than 70 vendors in two neighboring markets downtown — the Original Los Angeles Flower Market and the Southern California Flower Market.• Combined, the two markets are a vast kaleidoscope of natural and…
Horoscope for Sagittarius 2024 – Los Angeles Times
(Beth Hoeckel / For The Times; Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, courtesy of Ssense.com) Among the ultra-blessed 22 cards in the tarot’s major arcana — that is, the cards that have the power to shift the narrative of destiny — we find…
Highlights, events and photos from L.A. Fashion Week 2024
Fashion weeks are like summer camps for style sickos. Especially this year’s L.A. Fashion Week, because every event happened at one single location: the W Hotel. You got to see your friends walk a show, or run into a stylist…
Your guide to upcycled and sustainable fashion brands
This story is part of Image’s November Lost & Found issue, exploring the many lives our clothes and objects have, the many stories that are still waiting to be unearthed. When Swedish brand Hodakova won the LVMH prize this year,…
A fashion editorial in Malibu on vintage and secondhand clothing
This story is part of Image’s November Lost & Found issue, exploring the many lives our clothes and objects have, the many stories that are still waiting to be unearthed. Our clothes hold us, shaping our experience and understanding of…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Kaley cuoco
For Kaley Cuoco, Sundays mean one thing: football. Her fiancé Tom Pelphrey first made her a fan. “Because Tom is so obsessed with football, if I wasn’t going to join then I would be an outsider,” she says. “I needed…
We got the life-changing call. My athletic husband had prostate cancer
The sun has just set over the Palos Verdes hills, and the tennis court lights are buzzing to life. I’m enjoying time with my husband, Steve, standing between clean lines on the deep blue courts made bluer by the artificial…
Everything you need to know about Disneyland’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Splash Mountain’s eviction is complete. With the opening Friday of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disneyland has formally rid itself of an attraction that came to be seen as problematic. In its place is a ride that serves as a celebration, boasting…
An ode to the bird of paradise, L.A.’s official city flower
In our household, beauty wore different names. This was back in 1995, when we lived on 58th Place, in the upstairs unit of an ash-white triplex in Ladera Heights, many miles south of the glamour and stock beauty of Hollywood…
What to know about radical feminist 4B movement that preaches ‘no sex’
SEOUL — The election of Donald Trump has sparked a surge of interest in the United States in South Korea’s 4B movement, a radical feminist crusade that preaches the four B’s: bi-hon (no marriage), bi-yeonae (no dating), bi-sekseu (no sex)…
Downtown’s Music Center is turning into an outdoor arcade this weekend
The game started as an experiment. A way to look at emergent behavior — the coordinated and mesmerizing flight of a flock of birds, for instance. For artist and researcher Hillary Leone, the concern was that the world was becoming…
Does slow strength training work? L.A.’s 90-year-olds think so
DeLoyce Alcorn is 92 years old — and pressing nearly four times that in weight at the gym. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Alcorn — dressed in a T-Shirt that read “Be Strong. Be Resilient. Be You.” — slid into…
The best stores for vintage clothing in L.A.
For every time you hear an Angeleno smugly say “I thrifted it,” there’s a story behind the last hands that held the garment. Maybe it belonged to a fabulous Hollywood costume designer. Maybe it was languishing at the back of…
Interview with Asia White on supper clubs in Los Angeles
Asia White defines herself as an “idea person” — someone with an expansive imagination and a tendency to get overexcited. “I want to do lots of things. I’m always thinking of concepts, but I move on too quickly,” says the…
How are you staying fit after 65? Tell us about your unique routine
Want to know the secret to longevity? Hint: It can’t be found at the bottom of a serum bottle or at some luxury doctor’s office. The key is to consistently engage in “multicomponent” physical activities that encompass aerobic activity, muscle…
Visit Stars Hollow on Warner Bros.’ ‘Gilmore Girls’ studio tour
It’s fall, and for many that means it’s “Gilmore Girls” season. Though its original run ended in 2007, the series about the mother-daughter escapades of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore has remained a viewing behemoth, often returning to the top 10…
My surprising date with an ex-con Hollywood producer
If you had asked me to go on a date with someone who was barely out of prison, my answer would be an immediate no. I am not someone with Bonnie and Clyde syndrome, and I have never initiated anything…
I’ve walked the same L.A. trail 400 times. Here’s how it saved me
“Hello, old friend.” That’s the phrase that popped into my head at the start of my favorite walk recently. It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving…
10 walking clubs to help you see L.A. — and make friends
Walking is considered one of the healthiest ways to exercise, but let’s be honest: Unless you have a dog dragging you to the door or a friend pulling your arm, it’s easy to find reasons to stay on the couch….
Walk L.A.: A pedestrian’s guide to exploring the city by foot
When it comes to “walkability,” L.A. gets a bad rap. To the weekend visitor, our city can seem like a maze of twisting freeways and roads built for cars, walled off to pedestrians. But those who really know L.A. can…
The best freebies and discounts for L.A.’s 50-plus crowd
According to the census, nearly a third of Los Angeles residents are over 50. And we’re aging collectively — according to a Times report, L.A. County’s median age rose 2.6 years between 2012 and 2022. Thankfully, L.A. is an enticing…
Best massages and self-care gifts for your stressed L.A. friends
Sometimes the best gift is not another item to keep track of but an experience where you can lose yourself entirely and find serenity, healing or replenishment. Fortunately, L.A. is filled with unexpected places that provide an escape from the…
Microdosing Ozempic? Patients are using DIY doses of weight-loss drugs
Shauna Bookless never imagined she’d become her own pharmacist. But after gaining more than 20 pounds during undergraduate and graduate school and feeling unhappy with her weight, the Hollywood resident found herself mixing vials in her kitchen to create her…
The best gardening and plant gifts for all skill levels
Plant people are easy to buy for — and hard too — because the really die-hard gardeners usually want nothing more than their favorite battered clippers and an old table knife for weeding. The truth is, many of those cutesy…
6 things to know about L.A.’s whimsical new Balloon Museum
You won’t find any clowns at the L.A. leg of the traveling Balloon Museum, but there are plenty of other carnival-inspired sights and sounds to be experienced: massive inflated tents, queue lines marked by bright primary colors and concessions fit…
The ultimate holiday gift guide you need in Los Angeles
Credits Creative Director: Amy KingFeatures Editor: Brittany Levine BeckmanLead Gift Guide editor: Marques HarperProject editors: Jen Doll, Philip Gray (books), Betty Hallock (food), Michelle WooWriters: Lisa Boone, Stephanie Breijo, Kailyn Brown, Cindy Carcamo, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Danielle Dorsey, Betty Hallock, Jenn…
The best coffee-table books about California and Los Angeles
The City of Angels, La La Land, Tinseltown, the Big Orange — whatever you call this city and however you’ve made a life in it, you probably have an obsession or three about Los Angeles and our great state. We’ve…
I set up camp on a Lost Coast beach. Then a mountain lion showed up
It was 1996, and while traveling through the Lost Coast in far northern California, my boyfriend and I were camping without a tent on the beach. We’d been to Yosemite and some other places, but we’d just gotten there. We…
Things to do, exhibitions to see in L.A. in November
Louis Vuitton at the Americana Louis Vuitton has joined the lineup of designers and boutiques at shopping destination Americana at Brand in Glendale. Its new retail space illustrates the spirit of the heritage fashion house, offering men’s and women’s accessories,…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Sophie Thatcher
Sophie Thatcher isn’t in L.A. at the moment — but “Yellowjackets” fans will appreciate the reason. She’s in Vancouver filming the new season of the hit Showtime series, in which Thatcher’s character Natalie was revealed last season as the ringleader…
She taught me to love L.A. Could we survive a long-distance romance?
Long Beach is not Los Angeles. The suburb, if that’s something you can call the seventh-largest city in California, is geographically close to the City of Angels but emotionally distant. The hometown of both Snoop Dogg and Billie Jean King…
Stressed about the election? Here are 5 tips to ease your mind
For many people, stress related to the approaching presidential election is palpable. Even, at times, unbearable. Judith Martinez, 32, a nonprofit founder in Los Angeles, says the election feels like an existential crisis and has contributed to bouts of insomnia….
Halloween invites us to live with the uncertainty of a scary season
One of the best parts of new parenthood is figuring out what your child is going to be for Halloween. Considering the costume possibilities for my 15-month-old, I have been surprised and often delighted by what one can find on…
Has Nintendo found a better way to wake up? A review of Alarmo
No one has ever applauded me for getting out of bed before. But for the last week and a half a tiny, cheery red machine has been rewarding me with a fanfare when I decide to rise. Its digital screen…
Allan McLeod’s “Walkin’ About” podcast will help you explore L.A.
• In April, comedian Allan McLeod launched “Walkin’ About,” a podcast in which he and a guest stroll somewhere in the L.A. region.• His walking companions have included actor Dan Stevens, Ed. Begley Jr. and comedian Jon Gabrus. • Through…
The secret to finding love might just be a PowerPoint presentation
As a woman prepares to pitch her friend to an audience of roughly 200 eager singles, a few of their pals skip around the room, hold up cardboard signs that say “Team Jason” and hype up the crowd. A live…
Agoura Hills wildlife crossing spans the 101, but much work remains
• The Wallis Annenburg Wildlife Crossing now spans the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, but weather issues have pushed completion to sometime in 2026.• Builders plan to cover the crossing with “engineered” soil inoculated with local microbes early next year…
They created a mini-farm outside their Culver City home
Water-hungry lawns are symbols of Los Angeles’ past. In this series, we spotlight yards with alternative, low-water landscaping built for the future. Like most families stuck at home during the pandemic, psychologist Angel Black and her husband, philosophy professor Tim…
An ode to lipstick and gloss, and what lipstick to wear in L.A.
This story is part of Image’s October Luxury issue, exploring what luxury really means to artists, designers, aestheticians, architects and more. My first influencer event was in the summer of 2017 at the Museum of Ice Cream in L.A. I…
The secrets to Eric Blackwell’s creativity? Friendships and recycling
• Eric Blackwell is making a name for himself with his handcrafted artworks made largely from reclaimed guitar wood, featured in California boutiques like Trina Turk and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation store.• His passion for guitars led him to…
A definitive yet unserious guide to L.A. for Yankees fans
You’re a Yankees fan headed to Los Angeles for the first time. Of course you have questions. After all, you’ve come west from an old, dense, stinky, shrinking, corruption-plagued city while we wait here in a young, sprawling city that’s…
How a forgotten California border town became a hip hideaway
The first two surprises, as you roll up Old Highway 80 into this dry and silent Sonoran Desert town, might be the steam and the music. The steam rises from two pools at the recently reborn Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel….
What 22 Dodger fans wore for the World Series
The last time the Dodgers were in the World Series, it was in the thick of the pandemic. So all the games were played at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas, and the capacity was capped at 25% of capacity….
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to J.B. Smoove
Over the course of J.B. Smoove’s decades-long career as a comedian, actor and writer, he’s become known for many things. His fast-paced, New Yorker cadence and quick-witted comebacks. His wide-brim hats and dapper suits. And of course, his most beloved…
We started having sex. Did that ruin our new friendship?
I saw Trevor around the gym for months — scattered tattoos and black tank top with a cute smudge of climbing chalk on their ears. They always made sure to say hi, looking in my direction frequently. They first asked…
The rise of Erewhon and how food became a luxury
The industrial food supply will be the last bastion of the luxury economy, and we might mirror the cannibals in doomsday movies before we cede our idiosyncratic eating habits to austerity. Capitalism is amazing because it inspires unrelenting competition between…
Workers turn to van life amid Eastern Sierra housing crunch
MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — Emily Markstein, a sinewy rock climber and skier who has spent seven years living and working in the Sierra resort town of Mammoth Lakes, opens a large sliding door and welcomes a stranger into her home….
Where to smoke weed near LAX? The Artist Tree’s new Hawthorne location
Barely four hours after he had arrived in Los Angeles from Georgia to attend his nephew’s birthday bash, James Huling was seated at a bar rolling a joint and sipping a cannabis-infused agua fresca on a recent Thursday afternoon. “I’m…
Advocates say P-22 should have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Famed cougar P-22 is a rock star in the wildlife world, inspiring a novel, songs, murals, documentaries and festivals that have drawn thousands since his death in December 2022.• An advocate credits his life story with making the Wallis…
Photos of Art Deco and Japanese-inspired bathrooms around L.A.
This story is part of Image’s October Luxury issue, exploring what luxury really means to artists, designers, aestheticians, architects and more. My love of bathrooms stems from them being a personal space, and that it’s really a time alone in…
A guide to the Santa Ynez Valley, L.A.’s nearest wine country
When Alexander Payne’s wine-drenched dramedy “Sideways” first came out, Santa Ynez Valley didn’t have the luster of Napa or the breadth of the Russian River Valley. It still doesn’t match the touristic draw of either, but the spunky kid sister…
Scorpio horoscope by Goth Shakira
The Black Dumpling Sculpture by Jess Sellinger Ceramics via ssense.com. (Beth Hoeckel for The Times) It can be tempting to fall prey to the lore around Scorpio. There is no other sign (except for, perhaps, Gemini) that has come to…
Steff Yotka, Guillermo Andrade, Mina Alyeshmerni and Daniel Pacitti on luxury
This story is part of Image’s October Luxury issue, exploring what luxury really means to artists, designers, aestheticians, architects and more. In the 2005 Chanel miniseries “Signé Chanel,” French filmmaker Loïc Prigent offers an unprecedented inside look at the storied…
Navigating a world-record corn maze tests the human psyche
DIXON, Calif. — Deep inside one of the world’s largest corn mazes, where the tri-tip sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream purchased at the concession stand have become but a memory and all that can be seen in any direction are dirt…
L.A. aesthetician Andrea Ámez performs spiritual facials
A skin, hair or makeup routine is never just a skin, hair or makeup routine. We dived deep into the beauty rituals of artists and aestheticians across L.A., and in turn learned more about their relationships to themselves and the…
How to embrace your natural hair, skin and smile, with Elyse Thoms
A skin, hair or makeup routine is never just a skin, hair or makeup routine. We dived deep into the beauty rituals of artists and aestheticians across L.A., and in turn learned more about their relationships to themselves and the…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Julie Bowen
For Julie Bowen, mom of three teenage boys, a perfect Sunday would include plenty of “me time.” “My whole family calls laundry and dishes my ‘hobbies,’” she said. “No, no, my hobbies are reading, going to museums, hiking and playing…
I had a chance at happiness with the new guy. But was I ready for it?
He handed me a brown paper bag — mind you, just a regular lunch-size kraft paper bag that was still flat and folded — and in all seriousness said, “Just in case you need it.” Turning to look at him…
Photographer and creative director Barrington Darius on his hair-cutting ritual
A skin, hair or makeup routine is never just a skin, hair or makeup routine. We dived deep into the beauty rituals of artists and aestheticians across L.A., and in turn learned more about their relationships to themselves and the…
How to see the lost art of rebel Disney imagineer Rolly Crump in L.A.
Rolly Crump had an outsized reputation. A rebel in the Disney fold. A beatnik. An unapologetic tell-it-like-it-is you-know-what. Crump, who died last year at the age of 93, also forever changed the look of Disneyland. His art can be found…
Hiking inn-to-inn from Santa Monica to San Diego
Approaching Laguna Beach on the hike from Newport Beach to San Clemente. (Tom Courtney) This charming stroll will transport you back to the 1930s, through popular Laguna Beach, with its throngs of tourists and stylish art galleries, to Dana Point,…
A new wave of photogenic products want to help Gen Z quit vaping
When model Josephine Lee, known online as Princess Gollum, arrived in Studio City for a skincare brand photo shoot in November 2021, she had all her signature accessories in tow. An eerie-chic partially shaved head, spooky colored contacts and a…
A New York City guide for L.A. people (Dodgers’ version)
Any Dodgers fan visiting New York is bound to have questions. Why is the Statue of Liberty calling for a right-handed relief pitcher? Why does the wait for trains along the High Line seem like forever? Can I trust these…
Here are meaningful ways to ring in the fall season in sunny L.A.
During this year’s early September heat wave, I sat in a shaded courtyard at USC struggling to write after teaching my classes. The oppressive noon heat stifled my brain while sweat streamed from my temples. After a few minutes of…
This 71-year-old L.A. pole dancer defies expectations — and gravity
Dressed in 7-inch neon heels and translucent yellow bell-bottoms, Mary Serritella was defying gravity and expectations on a recent Wednesday night at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room. Spinning gracefully around a silver pole to disco medley, she contorted her body into a…
A wildfire destroyed their yard. They decided to plant native plants
• After years of living in a condo, the Hinch family was ecstatic about the giant backyard of their new Porter Ranch home. • Then they got their first water bill of $3,000 and tore out much of their lawn.•…
The brilliant fall foliage of the Eastern Sierra draws a global crowd
BISHOP, Calif. — Just after dawn on Thursday, I pointed my car up a long, steep hill outside Bishop and climbed through the high desert scrub toward the towering peaks of the Eastern Sierra. For about 15 miles, the land and…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Abby Wambach
Imagine it: Soccer legend Abby Wambach, five years old and a gifted forward, scoring 27 goals in her first three youth soccer games. Now widely known, it’s a story that Wambach shares often to emphasize the importance of working with…
Trans people find sexiness and absurdity on the wrestling mat
“Dale!” drag king Mauro Cuchi shouts into the mic. “Eso!” the crowd roars back. A spotlight shines on two glistening bodies facing off on the wrestling mat, each scantily clad and grappling to subdue the other in a takedown. But…
I was tired of dating apps. Could I meet someone who was normal?
“I don’t want to go.” “I get it.” I was on the phone with my emotional support friend Jill, who was trying to pump me up to meet someone new despite her awareness of my latest soul-crushing connections. “You have…
Is having your clothes tailored worth it?
I can think of nothing more luxurious than choice — the simple ability to dictate rather than be dictated to. We take for granted that we can pick from seven different brands of coffee makers or thousands of hours of…
The ‘Little Women Ballet’ leaps into a historic L.A. site
As contemporary Angelenos, seeing the immersive “Little Women Ballet” might be as close as we’ll ever get to stepping into a time machine. The series of dance works about Louisa May Alcott’s beloved 19th century novel are staged inside the…
9 tips to strength train and avoid injuries as you get older
I started strength training about nine years ago for admittedly vain reasons. Fresh off a breakup at the time, weight training offered a welcome distraction and the prospect of a revenge body. I trained two or three times a week…
These are the most fascinating L.A. museums you’ve never heard of
Todd Lerew is curious. He likes lists. And he doesn’t like doing things halfway. This is why he collects pictorial maps, why he has visited 248 public libraries in Los Angeles County and 401 of the 483 municipalities in California….
Commentary: ChainFest is a fetishization of cheap food for rich people
Hollywood’s upper-class elites have found a new way to show that they’re out of touch. And I fell for it. Chain, a recent darling of social media and beneficiary of articles that speak of its nostalgia-fueled good times, promises the…
The freedoms of dressing in midlife
It is summer in the Midwest, hot as soup, and I don a frock the size of a twin bed sheet in cooling cotton. “Going full women’s studies professor today, are we?,” my wife comments appreciatively. I give her a…
Join the L.A. Times on a fall hike along the Gabrielino Trail
Howdy! I’m Jaclyn Cosgrove, an outdoors reporter at the L.A. Times. I write about the best trails, bodies of water, campgrounds and more that you should visit in and around Los Angeles County. I’m also the voice behind The Wild,…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Charlie Puth
When pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth first began visiting Los Angeles in the early 2010s, he remembers landing at a house near Mount Olympus with an incredible view. Though he‘d only recently become a legal adult, he’d already built a following…
13 Los Angeles places to celebrate halloween all year long
For Halloween lovers, there is only one major problem with spooky season: it ends. But in a city where the change in seasons is more of a shift in mindset anyway, it doesn’t have to. Where there is a will…
She’s intelligent, witty and kind. Is this what true love feels like?
Some people might wonder: Is true love at first sight just a romantic fantasy? Or does it ever actually happen? These weren’t thoughts that had yet occurred to me when I was 13 years old. I was old enough to…
Locals share their secret tips and hacks for living in Los Angeles
Living in Los Angeles is a lot like folding a fitted sheet: It seems almost impossible to do well — until someone shares a tip or two that smooths things out and makes the whole process infinitely easier to navigate….
New pop-up stores and art exhibitions in L.A. this fall
Van Cleef & Arpels pop-up at South Coast Plaza The ultimate in luxury, Van Cleef & Arpels has a pop-up at South Coast Plaza this fall. Interact with the Ludo collection, an array of Art Deco-influenced pieces inspired by Louis…
Tiffany & Co.’s new Tiffany Céleste collection draws on the universe
Mya wears Vassia Kostara bra, and pieces from Tiffany & Co.’s Tiffany Céleste collection. The L.A. universe doesn’t start or end in Beverly Hills. Depending on who you talk to, it doesn’t even cross its path. But on a recent…
Looking for good vibes in L.A.? Readers share their ‘happy place’
“Just before visiting Los Angeles in summer 2008, I read a story in the Los Angeles Times about the opening of the first public park in downtown L.A. in more than 100 years. I was intrigued by the description of…
Opinion: Lego was my son’s world. It took me decades to see why
Six decades after the age when most people do, I’ve become obsessed with Lego. My gateway drug was a set reminiscent of an ice cream truck. Like many parents, I was trying something new as a way to connect with…
Urban homesteading tips from a 40-year-old urban homestead
In 1984, a determined back-to-earther named Jules Dervaes Jr. brought his wife and children from a 10-acre farm in rural Florida to study theology in Pasadena but ultimately decided on a different ministry: creating a self-sufficient urban farm on a…
I went on a date with my neighbor. What could go wrong?
Two years ago, I ditched any semblance of cheesy dating apps in favor of meeting the love of my life organically, like in the olden days. On a chilly, spring Friday night, I scanned my monochromatic closet in an attempt…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts vividly remembers how she was welcomed to life in Los Angeles 30 years ago. “I was 3, because my first memory of L.A. was of that big [Northridge] earthquake in 1994,” the actor told The Times via Zoom…
‘Black House Radio’ is bringing house music back home
On a breezy Saturday evening in South L.A., the sounds of heavy kick drums and electric claps trail down the block from a tan, two-story house with a well-manicured lawn. Through the large front window, passersby can catch a glimpse…
Restoring a midcentury Van Nuys home to ‘its original glory’
Art and Jessica Martinez never imagined they’d own a home in the Valley. Their Silver Lake condo suited their urban lifestyle: strolling around the reservoir, walking to the local grocery store and frequenting their favorite tiki bar, Tiki-Ti. However, the…
Move over, pickleball: Bocce reigns supreme in this ritzy part of L.A.
Jimmy Dunne hopped off his electric bike, hung his helmet on the handlebars and hurried over to the three bocce courts at Veterans Gardens just in time to offer his usual Tip of the Day. “Think strategically,” the commissioner of…
Tips for taking preschoolers to Disneyland, without meltdowns
When you figure in the high cost, endless lines, height restrictions and miles of walking, does it ever make sense to take a preschooler to Disneyland? Yes, as long as their adults adjust their expectations, plan carefully and slow waaay…
How to stop squirrels from trashing bird feeder, fruit trees
This is the part where I admit two things — neither of which I’m proud of. First, it was only then, several months in, I realized I’d made a colossal blunder when trying to hang my precious high-tech feeder out…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Eva Longoria
Sundays have always been a “sacred” day for Eva Longoria. Growing up in Texas, the Golden Globe-nominated actor would go to Sunday Mass with her family before heading to one of her favorite restaurants, Luby’s, where she’d order a fried…
A list of California native plants that survived the Ice Age
At the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Jessie George and other paleobotanists — the folks who study ancient plants the way paleontologists study prehistoric bones — are compiling a list of California native plants that survived the Ice Age…
I wasn’t lucky in love. Then we crossed paths at CrossFit
They say your 30s are better than your 20s for myriad reasons: better sense of identity, more financial stability, less defined by ego-filled standards. For me, I was completely satisfied in every department in my life except romance. I met…
Is there a cure for grief? The medical world is looking for one
When Cody Delistraty lost his mother in 2014, he was surprised by the various ways that he, his brother and his father dealt with their grief. The journalist and speechwriter had expected his family’s experiences to be aligned, that there…
Every Southern California theme park ride, ranked
(Daniel Sulzberg / For The Times) Times theme park critic Todd Martens was handed a wild assignment: Rank every theme park ride in Southern California. The mission was dizzying, literally, as he spent months fastening his seatbelt and zipping through…
How much do weddings cost? Real couples share how much they spent
Planning a wedding is a highly personal experience, reflecting your tastes, values and vision as a couple. But one thing is universal: It’ll likely cost more than you think. In a survey by the Knot that polled nearly 10,000 U.S….
I quit running and took up Pilates. Here’s how that turned out
About a year and a half ago, it occurred to me that if I didn’t start working out again, I’d be sliding into a sloppy, flabby late middle age. I had always been a runner. For more than 30 years,…
Do adaptogens really work? Explaining the trendy drink ingredient
Licorice root, reishi mushrooms and vitamin B-6 are often among the ingredients listed in various adaptogenic drinks. (Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times) It’s not enough for a drink just to taste good anymore. Most specialty grocery or liquor stores…
They turned a fixer-upper cabin near Joshua Tree into an artsy escape
On a sunny spring afternoon in the high desert, Adam Miller and Devon Oder prepared to welcome guests — friends, neighbors, artists and family members — to a reception for artist B. Wurtz at their one-bedroom cabin in Yucca Valley….
What is the ‘shadow self’? A guide to the term coined by Carl Jung
Earlier this year, a spiritual coach and reiki healer who goes by the name Zen Oasis posted a video to TikTok explaining the idea of “the shadow self” to her 167,000 followers. Sitting lotus-style in a yellow halter top with…
How the Hollywood Bowl rideshare lot works
Being at the Hollywood Bowl to see a show is a magical experience. Getting there? Not so much, thanks to streets that get so clogged with traffic that it sometimes feels like every single one of the 17,000 people filling…
Mono Zeug’s cutlery set brings elegance and comfort
Collage featuring Mono Silver Zeug Cutlery Set. (Beth Hoeckel / For The Times) June is a feeling that floats at the forefront of every Angeleno’s mind at some point or another in the months leading up to it. Whether it’s…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Paul Scheer
Paul Scheer’s memoir, “Joyful Recollections of Trauma,” is not just a collection of harrowing — and often humorous confessions — but also a reminder that to persevere, we must strive to maintain our passions. Scheer’s first loves come through in…
We decided on fresh start in L.A. Would the move ease my depression?
We drove up a steep hill in our packed doughnut food truck to see our new house in Glassell Park for the first time. But we weren’t prepared for the stress of that hillside drive. Who knew that such pockets…
L.A. billboard icon Anh Phoong tells her story, gets styled by Humberto Leon
Anh Phoong stands in front of one of her L.A. billboards. Phoong wears Oori Ott bodysuit and shorts, Firmé Atelier jacket. (Kanya Iwana/For The Times) Anh Phoong isn’t afraid of heights. She has a vivid memory of herself in college…
Want to be fearless? Try Cristina Moon’s belly button method
If there are many paths up the mountain that is spiritual self-discovery, writer, strategist and Zen priest Cristina Moon is on one with an especially steep incline. “I think the majority of paths have a lot of switchbacks, but some…
Do you have a ‘happy place’ in L.A.? We want to hear from you
Is there a place in L.A. that simply makes you happy? A spot where you go to escape? Where the noise just stops and you feel nothing but delight? Perhaps it’s a favorite store where the bright and clean interior…
Hate hidden hotel fees? In California, they’re about to be illegal
If you’re making travel plans for summer or fall, brace yourself for a jump in some advertised prices — which is, believe it or not, good news for consumers. It’s the result of a new California law aimed at bringing…
Purchase and consume weed on-site at the California State Fair
For the first time in the 170-year history of the California State Fair, which is scheduled to open July 12 in Sacramento, visitors will be able to do something they haven’t been able to do there before — legally anyway….
Why do we get weather-related headaches? Explaining weather whiplash
Alanna Santini’s friends call her the “human weather vane.” On cloudy days, the 42-year-old advertising executive from Silver Lake invariably comes down with a bad headache. It’s an experience she grew accustomed to in her home state of New York…
We want to know your secret tips and hacks for living in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, the sprawling 502-square-mile, second-most-populated city in the country, there’s one thing that makes the difference between surviving and truly thriving (once you’ve gotten the whole paycheck thing figured out, anyway): our stash of life hacks. These are…
Tell us: What’s your favorite local L.A. campground?
In late November, I prepared myself for one of the most common pastimes of any nature-loving Californian. I got up early and trekked a dozen steps over to my laptop, where I quickly logged onto Recreation.gov to secure a campsite…
Inside L.A.’s death cafes: Group discussions of death with ‘no agenda’
In a second-story room in Los Feliz’s Philosophical Research Society, about a dozen people sit in a circle. Many of them are here for the first time and not entirely sure what to expect. The sandwich board sign in the…
A roadmap to cannabis tourism spots in Mendocino weed country
Mendocino County, Calif. — As you drive through some of California’s most storied agricultural land, a few hours north of the Bay Area, you’ll zoom past fields full of plants straining under the weight of their almost-ready-to-harvest bounty. After checking into…
Where can you see jacaranda trees in Los Angeles and Orange County?
What would Los Angeles be like without the nearly 30,000 jacaranda trees on city streets? It depends on who you ask. “The tree stands for California at its worst: all flash, no substance, a pain left for others to clean…
My father was married four times. I discovered that he had secret kids
We all have a past — little ghosts of heartache and regret that can haunt us forever. But for some people, the ghosts can become demons. My father was one of those people. In his 94 years, he was married…
Chase Sapphire lounge at LAX: What cardholders should know
While a swanky airport lounge can’t alleviate Los Angeles International Airport’s infamous curbside gridlock, it can make it become a more distant memory. The latest predeparture sanctuary that will land at LAX? It’s from a company best known for its…
Françoise Hardy dead: French pop star, fashion icon was 80
Françoise Hardy, the French chanson singer, songwriter, fashion “It Girl” and darling of the 1960s “yé-yé” French pop movement, has died. She was 80. Her death was announced Tuesday on Instagram by her son, Thomas Dutronc, who wrote, “Maman est…
Vibe Ride is the weekly L.A. skate party you can’t miss
It’s a Tuesday night in mid-May, and dozens of people are rolling into a parking lot just south of the Santa Monica Pier. Most are on skateboards of all shapes and sizes. A few are on roller skates, scooters and…
Review: Replacing Splash Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure shines
Bay Lake, Fla. — As we dip into the bayou, the scene before us feels a tad mystical, all glowing fireflies with hues of blue and purple seeping through the trees. While there’s a comfortably paced current carrying our log-carved…
How celebrities, creatives fell in love with LA’s Aardvark Letterpress
Surviving in an obsolete industry as long as Aardvark Letterpress has requires fundamental elements of entrepreneurship. Skill, dedication, creativity and professionalism are essential. General manager and co-owner Cary Ocon returns to another theme that’s kept what’s now the city’s oldest…
Inside the first-ever L.A. Times subscriber hike in Pasadena
On Saturday morning, more than 20 L.A. Times subscribers traveled from near and far to join me on our first-ever subscriber hike. We met at San Pascual Stables in South Pasadena, with the hazy June gloom offering perfect hiking weather….
The best West Coast travel spots, according to L.A. Times readers
Sometimes 101 is just too small a number. Many readers, having digested our new list of 101 best West Coast experiences, have stepped up to make the case for destinations we left out, from a country road in Malibu to…